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The accident happened in pitch darkness at 5am. The pier did not have any street lighting and the motorist must have not seen signs warning about the river.

The driver's Lancia had to be raised from the bed of the river. According to investigators, it was completely destroyed.

One local told the NDR television website, the location was 'a super dangerous spot at night'.

He said: 'The same thing almost happened to me The weather conditions were exactly the same. It was dark, it was raining and I was with a colleague, following the satnav. Neither he nor I saw any signs about a ferry.

'The only thing that prevented doing the same thing was that the moon was shining and I was puzzled by the shimmer ahead. I drove very slowly and saw the road ended two metres in front of me. There was no way of seeing a ferry left from there in the dark.'